Designing this platform required balancing legal compliance, business rules, and user clarity—especially during a complex merchant onboarding and verification process critical for trust and scalability.
Constraints & Realities
Design decisions were made without access to real end users or time for user interviews, relying on assumptions and internal feedback. At the same time, core business logic was predefined before design work began, limiting the ability to explore alternative product directions. The platform needed to support multiple user roles—administrators, merchants, and end users—each with distinct goals and workflows across both the marketplace and internal dashboards.
These constraints were further shaped by tight delivery timelines, which prioritized clarity, consistency, and usability over extensive experimentation. Close collaboration with a PM who was also a full-stack developer led to frequent design–development alignment, as well as occasional late-stage adjustments discovered during implementation. Additionally, operating within a healthcare-related domain introduced regulatory and legal requirements that varied across markets and directly influenced design decisions.
Reducing onboarding drop-off under strict verification requirements
The dilemma
Merchants had to complete a long, mandatory verification process, increasing the risk of early abandonment.
The decision
We kept all required verification steps intact, but redesigned onboarding into a structured, step-based flow with focused fields and contextual explanations.
Why it mattered
We reduced cognitive overload by avoiding a single "all-at-once" form, as well we clarified why sensitive business and legal information was required.
Trade-off accepted
A longer flow, in exchange for clarity, compliance, and higher completion likelihood.
Allowing merchants to explore the platform before subscribing
The dilemma
After completing KYC, merchants were required to pay an annual subscription before accessing the dashboard, creating a second hard stop early in onboarding.
The decision
We allowed merchants to enter the dashboard immediately after verification, using empty states and clear prompts to guide them toward subscription once they understood the platform’s value.
Why it mattered
By removing the payment requirement at this early stage, we reduced friction at a moment that already demanded high commitment from merchants. This shift allowed users to first explore the dashboard and understand the platform’s value, making the subscription feel like a natural next step rather than a forced decision.
Trade-off accepted
Delayed monetization, in exchange for higher activation and trust.
Managing product creation in a multi-vendor marketplace
The dilemma
The marketplace required a reliable, scalable product catalog. While most products would be added centrally by admins, vendors needed a way to add missing products without compromising data quality or compliance.
The decision
Vendors were allowed to submit new products only when they were not already available in the system, through a controlled submission flow that required review before becoming publicly available.
Why it mattered
This approach balanced platform control with vendor flexibility, keeping the product catalog consistent while still allowing the marketplace to scale without manual bottlenecks.
Trade-off accepted
Slower product availability in exchange for catalog consistency, quality, and regulatory safety.
Outcomes & learnings
Working on this product reinforced how important clarity and guidance are in complex B2B environments. When friction is unavoidable—whether due to compliance, verification, or business rules—the role of design shifts from removing steps to helping users understand them and move forward with confidence.
This project also highlighted the value of thinking in systems rather than individual screens. Decisions around onboarding, monetization, and product ownership had cascading effects across multiple roles, making early alignment with product and engineering critical to building scalable workflows.
